Oil & Gas Inovation: GE Launches New Xmas Tree to Meet Deepwater Challenge

GE Oil & Gas has chosen ONS week to launch a new Deepwater Vertical Xmas Tree specifically designed to meet the challenges of subsea projects at depths of up to 3,000 meters (9,850 feet), according to Rigzone.

Launched Wednesday at GE’s new Technology Solutions Center in Stavanger, the DVXT is aimed at expanding the company’s portfolio of pre-engineered, pre-qualified modular systems that are designed to enable products to be brought to market faster.

“The tree is a global product. It has been developed having had dialogue with our major customers: the Chevrons, Exxons and Shells of the world. Their input on schematics, functionality and qualification has all been built into this tree. And we continue to have that dialogue with these majors to constantly improve and enhance this tree,” Mike Wenham, GE’s Subsea Trees Senior Applications Engineer, told reporters.

“One of the big messages from ONS this year is the cost of development of the product and everything that goes into it. By investing significant cash into the development of this, with the engineering commitment and the facilities supporting it, we’ve looked to reduce the engineering cost, the lead time and the risk to the customer and, of course, to GE.”

Deployed with the company’s SemStar5-R remote electronics canister, GE said that the DVXT incorporates “the latest in communication technology” and that it is designed with the objectives of higher subsea reliability, extended service life and improved environmental monitoring.